Ironing machine



March 5, 1940. G. w. DUNHAM 2 2,

IRONI NG MACHINE Filed Nov. 24, 1915" 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 z; 2/ m 23 v 92 I 3 Inventor; Geovge W Dunhavn His Attiovneg.

March 5, 1940. DUNHAM 2,192,186

IRONING MACHINE Filed Nov. 24, 193'. 3 sheets-sheet 2 l'rm /evfsor GeorgeW Dunh am His Attorney.

March 5, 1940. e. w. DUNHAM 2,192,186

I IRONING MACHINE I Filed Nov. 24-, 1937 I5 SheetsSheet 3 GeovgeV/TDunham,

ga Attovney.

Patented Mar. 5, 1940 PATENT OFFICE IRONING MACHINE George W. Dunham, Westport, Conn, asslgnor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application November 24, 1937, Serial No. 176,285

I 12 Claims.

The present invention relates to ironing machines of the type in which ironing is effected between a heated shoe and a padded roll.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement in ironing machines of this type, and for a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention attention is directed to the accompanying description and the claims appended thereto.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. -1 is a I perspective view of an ironer embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the ironer, partly in section; Fig. 3 is an end elevation in section along line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an end elevation in section along line 44 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the lever and parts associated therewith for controlling the driving connection to the roll; Fig. 6 is a top plan view, partly broken away, to show the operating mechanism; Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 11 of Fig. 4; Fig. 8 is an end elevation, in section; on line 8-8 of Fig. 2, the shoe being shown in the closed position; Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8,.the shoe being shown in the open position; Fig. 10 is a view showing the shoe in the cleaning position, that is, the position in which the shoe has the greatest separation from the roll and moves it toward and away from the roll; Fig. 11 is a rear elevation of the'ironer; Fig. 12

is a sectional view taken through the rock shaft which supports the shoe; Fig. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the arrangement for supportingthe shoe; Fig. 14 is a. perspective view of bracket connecting the shoe to the shoe supporting arm; and Fig. 15 is a fragmentary view showing the manner of securing the cover to the shoe.

Referring to the drawings, the ironer comprises a shoe l and a roll 2 which are carried by a housing 3 containing mechanism for rotating the roll and for moving the shoe toward and away from the roll. The housing is secured to the top 4 of a suitable table by bolts 4a threaded into lugs 41) on the housing (see Fig. 2).

The shoe (Fig. 13) comprises an arcuate metal plate 5 which is heated by suitable electric heating elements (not shown).

of the plate are secured studs 6 to which is fastened a shoe cover 1. At the center of the plate I 5 is secured a bracket 8 having arms 9 which are pivotally connected to an arm I0 by means of a pin 1 l The arm III, which serves as the shoe supporting arm, is keyed to a rock shaft l2. When the shaft 12 is oscillated, the shoe-is moved to- 5 ward and away from the roll. The shaft 12 is On the upper surface journaled in a tube l3 which is fixed in a boss 14 in the side walls of the ironer housing.

The roll (Fig. 2) comprises a sheet metal cylinder 15 having disks I6 and I1 within each end secured thereto respectively by means of flanges 5 I8 and I9 secured to the inner surface of the cylinder. On the outer surface of the cylinder I5 is a pad 20 which is held thereon by means of a pad cover 21. The pad cover is held in place by means-of snap rings 22 which fit in grooves 10 23 in the flanges l8 and I9. The disk 11 is secured to the flange 24 of a sleeve 25 carrying a sleeve bearing 26 which rotatably supports the roll on a tube 21 fixed in a boss 28 in the ironer housing. The disk 16 is fixed to a sleeve 29 15 which is keyed to a shaft 30 journaled in the tube 21. The roll is rotated by the shaft 30 through the driving connection formed by the sleeve 29 and the disk Hi. This end of the roll is supported by the shaft 30, its bearing and the 20 outer end of tube 21.

The ironer is operated by an electric motor 31 (Fig. 3) which is resiliently supported from a plate 32 by means of arms 33 having openings 34 which are snapped into grooves in rubber bush- 25 ings 35. The plate 32 is secured to the underside of the table top by the bolts 4a. The compression of the rubber bushings, and therefore the resilience of the mounting, is varied by means of nuts 36 which are threaded on spindles 31 se- 30 cured to the plate 32. The motor shaft 38 is slotted to receive a bar 39 which fits in the slotted end of a shaft 40.and serves as a coupling between the shafts. The shaft 40 is journaled in a boss 4| which is integral with a web 42 extending 85 across the side Walls of the ironer housing. The shaft 40 has cut therein a worm 43 which meshes with a worm wheel 44 rotatably carried on the roll driving shaft 30. The thrust of the worm shaft 40 is taken by a ball 45 which bears against the end of plug 46 threaded in the top wall of the ironer housing. After adjustment, the plug 46 is prevented from turning by means of a set screw 41.

Integral withthe worm gear 44 is a hub hav- 45 ing a pinion 48 (Fig. 2) cut therein and having a bearing surface 49 on which is rotatably carried the hub 50 of internal gear 5|. The internal gear 5| meshes with gears 52 which are rotatably carried on stub shafts 53 fixed in an arm 54 50 which is pinned to the roll driving shaft 30. The gears 52 also mesh with the pinion 48. The pinion 48, the internal gear 5|, the gears 52 and the arm 54 comprise an epicyclic or planetary gear train which provides aspeed reducing driving connection 56 between the continuously rotating worm wheel 44 thrust shaft I2.

, supporting the washer.

and the roll driving shaft 38. When the rotation of the internal gear is not restrained, the friction in the bearings of the roll shaft 39 is sufficient to hold the roll shaft stationary. When the internal gear 5| is held stationary, the planetary gearing provides a speed reducing driving connection to the roll shaft. For holding the internal gear stationary, I have provided a control lever 55 (see Figs. 2 and 5) which is pivoted on a pin 55 carried in bosses 51. The control lever 55 has an arm 58 having a hooked end 58a which is adapted to fit in depressions 59 in a flange 68 on the internal gear 5|. The lever 55 is controlled in a. manner which will hereinafter be described.

The shoe is moved toward and away from the. roll by means of an eccentric 6| (Figs. 2 and 8) which is rotatably supported on the tube 21 adjacent the side wall of the ironer housing. It is important that the eccentric be supported adjacent the side wall of the ironer housing since the forces exerted by the eccentric are large. If, for example, the eccentric were supported on the free or unsupported end of the shaft 30, i. e., on the part where the planetary gearing is located, the boss 28 and-.the tube 21 would have to be made much more rigid. On the eccentric is an eccentric strap 62 having a rectangular opening in its end defined by top and bottom walls 63 and 68 and end walls 85 and 66. slidably and non-rotatably supported in the end wall 66 is a rectangular plunger 61 having a notch 68 which engages the end of an arm 69 carried by a hub fixed to the On the inner surface of the end wall 56 is a seat for one end of a coil spring II arranged around the plunger 51 and having its other end bearing against a washer I2, the outerv surface of which bears against a pin I3 in the plunger. The washer has notches I9 (Fig. 9) which slidably engage the top and bottom walls 63 and 68 thereby slidably and non-rotatably The washer serves as a guide for the plunger. The expansion of the coil spring II is limited by the striking of the inner end of the plunger 61 against the wall 65, as shown in Fig. 9. The lower face of the wall 64 bears on the upper end of a rod I l slidably carried in a boss in the web 42 of the ironer housing. On the lower end of the rod 14 is a stop I6 against which the rod is urged by a compression spring 11 arranged between the lower side of the boss 15 and a washer I8 fixed to the rod. The wall 64 of the eccentric strap is held against the upper end of the rod M by means of a tension spring I9 arranged betweenan arm 89 fixed in the top wall 63 of the eccentric strap and an arm 8Iintegral with the hub I8. In addition, the tension spring I9 also serves to bias the rock shaft l2 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 8. When the eccentric is in the position shown in Fig. 8 the shoe is pulled against the roll by the plunger 61, the pressure between the shoe and the roll being limited by compression of the? spring Ii. When the eccentric is in the position shown in Fig. 9 the shoe is moved away from the roll by the tension spring I9. In this position the left end'of the plunger '61 abuts against the wall 65 of the eccentric and the right end of the plunger rests on the curved upper end of a boss 83. The movement of the shoe away from "the roll is limited by the engagement of the arm 69 with the end of a set screw82 threaded in the boss 83 on the side wall of the ironer housing. The Set screw is positioned so that the end of the arm 69 loosely fits within the notch 58 in the plunger as shown in Fig. 9.

Further separation of the shoe from the roll may be obtained by moving the shoe supporting shaft I2 to the right, as viewed in Fig. 12, until the arm 69 is clear of the setscrew 82. In this condition, the spring I9 pivots the shaft l2 to the position shown in Fig. 10 in which the arm 59 bears against the boss 83. The shaft I2 is urged to the left, as viewed in Fig. 12, by a plunger 84 fitting in a socket 85 in the end of the shaft and in a socket 86 in a boss 81. The plunger is urged to the left by a compression spring 88 arranged between the bottom of the socket 86 and the end of the plunger. When the shoe is in the position shown in Fig, 10 the surface of the shoe is exposed for cleaning and waxing. In this position the end of the arm 69 is clear of the notch 68 in the plunger 61 and the shoe is, accordingly, inde-' pendent of the eccentric strap. To return the shoe to the position shown in Fig. 9 it is merely necessary to grasp the shoe and mbve it in a coun-' terclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 19. As soon as the arm 69 is moved past the inner end of the set screw 82 the shaft I2 is moved to the left by the plunger 84, returning the arm 69 to the position shown in Fig. 9.

When the shoe is pressed against the roll; as shown in Fig. 8, the shoe can be disconnected from the eccentric strap to release the pressure exerted on the shoe by pushing the rod 1,4 upwardly. This is accomplished through an arm 89 fixed to a shaft 99 slidably and rotatably carried in brackets 9| (Fig. 2) fixed to the under side of the table top}. When the shaft 99 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 8, the rod 19* is pushed upward lifting the eccentric strap so that the notch 68 is clear of the arm 89. This permits the shoe to be swung to the position shown in Fig, 9 by the spring I9. The shaft 99 is rotated by exerting a downward pressure on the free end of a knee pad 92 fixed to the shaft 99. Upon releasing the knee pad 92 the rod 14 is returned to the lowered positionby the spring 11 and the eccentric strap is pulled against the upper end of the rod 14 by the spring I9. The eccentric strap is now in the position shown-in Fig. 8, while the shoe is in the position shownin Fig. 9. Upon'rotation of the eccentric from the position shown in Fig. 8 to the position shown in Fig. 9, the curved end 93 of the plunger 51 is pushed against the inclined surface 94 on the arm 69 causingthe plunger to be lifted above the upper end of the arm 69 until the notch 68 in the plunger is above the upper end of.the arm 69.

' When this position is reached, the plunger is pulleddownward by the spring I9 establishing the connection between the arm 59 and-the notch 68 in the plunger, as shown in Fig. 9. The arrangement described above serves as an emer-' gency release for releasing the pressure between therein in which is slidably carried a key 96.,

The key is urged outward by means of a spring 91 the outward movement of the key being limited by engagement of a tongue 98 on the key with a shoulder 99. When the parts arein the position shown in the drawings, the key is held in its inner position by engagement with one of the ends I or IOI of a C-shaped trip lever I02. The trip lever is loosely mounted on pins I03 fixed in bosses I04 and is resiliently held against the faces of the bosses by means of coil springs I (see Fig. 7'). The end of the trip lever is moved out of the path of the key 96 by means of an arm I06 fixed to a shaft I01 journaled in a boss I08 in the web 42 of the ironer housing. When the shaft I01 is moved in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. '7, the ends I00 and I IOI of the trip lever are moved toward the roll and bearing on the tube 21.

to a position out of contact with the key 96. The key is then moved outward by the spring 91 into engagement of one of a plurality of notches I09 (see Fig. 6) in a flange II 0 integral with the continuously driven worm wheel 44, thereby completing a driving connection between the worm wheel and the eccentric. Once the driving connection is completed, the trip lever I02 is allowed to be returned to its normal position by the springs I05. The shaft I01 is returned to its normal position by a coil spring III which tends to turn the shaft in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. '7. The rotation of the eccentric continues through 180 until the key 96 is forced inward by the other end of the trip lever I02. To insure positive disengagement of the key 96 and the slots I09, a cam surface H2 is provided on the flange 95 and the trip lever I02 is made slightly resilient and of such size that its ends loosely ride on the flange 95 when the driving connection is established between the worm gear 44 and the eccentric is rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4. As the key 96 nears one of the ends of the trip lever I02 that end of the trip lever rides upward on the cam surface II2 spreading the ends of the trip lever apart and storing energy in the trip lever due to its flexure. Upon further rotation of the eccentric, the end of the trip lever moves off the cam surface H2 and the energy stored therein is released causing the end of the 'trip' lever to forcibly strike the key 96 and move it inward out of engagement with the slots I09. The normal separation of the ends of the trip lever is such that the key 96 is separated from the slots I09 as shown-in Fig. 2.

The trip lever I02 is arranged so that at the end of each 180 movement of the eccentric the eccentric occupies either the position shown in Fig. 8 in which the shoe is pressed against the roll or the position shown in Fig. 9 in which the shoe is moved away from the roll. Any tendency of over-travel of the eccentric is prevented by the friction between the eccentric and the tube 21, which friction is further increased by a coil spring H3 (Fig. 8) carried in a circular opening The spring II3 urges a ball II4 outward and when the eccentric is in the position shown in Figs. 8 and 9 the ball fits in one of the notches II 5 in the eccentric strap and serves as a detent for holding the eccentric strap in proper relation to the eccentric.

When the ironer is used for continuous ironing, it is desirable that the rotation of the roll be started and stopped in accordance with the position of the shoe. That is, the roll should be stationary when the shoe is away from the roll so that the material to be ironed can be arranged on the roll and the roll should rotate when the shoe is pressed against the roll to feed the material to be ironed under the shoe. This is effected by means of a cam II6 (see Fig. 5) integral with the eccentric 6|, which engages an arm II1 integral with the control lever 55. The

arm II 1 is held against the cam by a coil spring II8 arranged between a seat II'9 (Fig. 2) in a boss I20 on the top Wall of the ironer housing and a seat I2I in the upper side of the arm. The shape of the cam I I6 issuch that the hooked end 58a of the arm 58 is moved into engagement with 58a with one of the notches 59, as explained.

abovefistarts somewhat before the development of the full pressure between the roll and the shoe. This reduces the starting load on the roll driving mechanism.

When the ironer is used for pressing, it is desirable that the roll remain stationary when the shoe is pressed against the roll. This is effected by means of a hand lever I22 (see Fig. 6) fixed on a shaft I23 journaled in the front wall of the, ironer housing. On the inner end of the shaft I23 is fixed a lever I24 (Fig. 5) which when moved to a vertical position lifts the arm II1 to a positionin which the hooked end 58a of the arm 58 is clear of the notches 59. As long as the lever I24 is held in this position the roll remains stationary. The hand lever I22 is held stationary with reference to the ironer housing by means of a spring pressed ball detent I25. The rotation of the roll may be started and stopped at will while the shoe is pressed against the roll.

The ironer is controlled by means of the knee pad 92 which, as explained above, is fixed to the shaft 90. The righthand end of the shaft, as viewed in Fig. 2, bears against an arm I26 flxed to the shaft I01. Movementof the knee pad to the right causes the shaft I01 to be turned in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 7, thereby moving the ends of the trip lever I0,2 clear of the key 96 so that the spring 91 can move the key outward into one of the slots I09 to complete a driving connection to the eccentric. As soon as the driving connection is completed, which requires only a very short interval due to the large number of slots I09 and the relatively high speed of rotation of the worm wheel 44 the knee pad is released and the shaft I01 is returned to its normal position by means of the springs I05 acting on the trip lever I02 and the coil spring III turning the shaft I01. These springs also serve to return the knee pad to its normal position, the force of the springs being transferred to the shaft 90 through the lever I26. When the eccentric is rotated through 180", the key 96 is moved out of the slot I09 by engagement of one of the ends of the trip lever I02, as described above.

The movement of the shoe toward and away from the roll may also be controlled by means of the hand lever. I22. When the hand lever I22 is moved to the pressing position, i. e. the position in which the lever I24 projects vertically upward from the shaft I23, movement of the lower end of the hand lever I22 toward the roll will cause the lever I24 to engage the center of the trip lever I02 and cause it to be moved to a position in which the ends are clear of the key 96. The key 96 is then moved outward into one of the notches I09, as described above, completing a driving connection from the worm wheel 44 to the eccentric 6|. As soon as this driving connection is completed the lever I22 may be released and it will be returned to the vertical position by means of the coil springs I05 which tend to return the trip lever I02 to the position shown in Fig. '7. When the hand lever I22 is in the pressing position it can, therefore, be used to control the movement of the shoe toward and away from the roll.

Similarly, when the hand lever is turned to a position in which it projects upwardly from the shaft I23 it can likewise be used to control the movement of the shoe. When in this position, movement of the upper end of the -lever I22 toward the roll causes the lever I24 to engage the trip lever I02 and pivot it to a position clear of the key 96, causing the establishment of the driving connection from the worm "gear .44 to the eccentric. Upon releasing of the lever I22, after completion of the driving lever, it will be returned to the vertical position by means of the springs I05 acting on the trip lever I02.

In the use of the ironer the material to be ironed is arranged on the roll while the roll is stationary and the shoe is away from the roll. The knee pad 92 is then moved to'the right, as

viewed in Fig. 1, thereby moving the'shaft 90' against the arm I26 and turning the shaft I01 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. '7. The arm I06, which is fixed to the shaft I01, engages the trip lever I02 and pivots it about the studs I03 until the ends I and IN are clear of the key 96. The key is then moved outward by the spring 91 into one of the slots I09 in the worm wheel 44 completing a driving connection from the worm wheel to the'eccentric. As soon as this driving connection is completed, the knee pad is released and is returned to its normal position bythe springs I acting on the trip lever I02 and by the coil spring III acting on the shaft I01. The driving connection to the eccentric remains completed until the eccentric has turned through 180, at which time the key 96 is moved out of the slot I09 by engagement of one of the ends of the trip lever I02.

The 180 rotation of the eccentric moves the eccentric from the positionshown in Fig. 9 in which the shoe is separated from the roll to the position shown in Fig. 8 in which the shoe is pressed against the roll. In this latter position .the cam H6, which is integral with the eccentric, occupies the position shown in Fig. 5 permitting the control lever 55 to be moved to the position illustrated by the compression spring H9. In this position, the hooked end 58a of the arm 59 is moved into one of the depressions 59 in the flange 60 of the internal gear 5| holding the internal gear stationary. This completes a driving connection from the worm wheel 44 to the roll driving shaft 30 through the planetary gear which comprises the pinion 48, the internal gear 5I and the gears 52. When the roll is rotating, the ironer is adapted for ironing flat work which is fed under the shoe by the rotation of the roll.

Under some circumstances, it is desirable that the roll remain stationary when the shoe is pressed against the roll. This is effected by turning the hand lever I22 in a clockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 1 to a position in which it projects vertically downward. This causes the lever I24 to be moved to a position projecting upward from the shaft I23 in which the upper end of the lever I24 engages the arm II1 of the lever 55 and holds it in a position in which the hooked end "a is clear of the depressions 59. While in this position, the roll remains stationary due to the fact that the friction in the roll and roll driving shaft bearings is greater than the friction in the bearing of the internal gear 5|.

The shoe is moved away from the roll by moving the knee pad 92 to the right, as viewed in Fig. 1, causing the eccentric to be turned through another 180, in the manner described above. When the shoe is away from the roll, the cam II6 has turned 180 from the position shown in Fig. 5 and has lifted the hooked end 58a clear of the depressions 59, thus breaking the driving connection to the roll. The roll, therefore, remains stationary when the shoe is moved away from the roll and material to be ironed can be conveniently arranged on the roll.

If the power supply should fail whilethe shoe is pressed against the roll, the pressure between the roll and the shoe can be released by exerting a downward force on the outer end of the knee pad 92. tated in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 8, causing the rod 14 to be raised lifting the eccentric strap to a position in whicn the notch 68 in the plunger 61 is clear of the upper end of the arm 69, breaking the connection be- 96 tween the eccentric and shoe. The shoe is then rotated in a clockwise direction to the position,

shown in Fig. 9, by the tension spring 19. As described above, the connection between the ec-' centric and shoe is automatically reestablished by subsequent rotation of the eccentric to the position shown in Fig. 9.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In an ironer, cooper'atingironing elements,

a rockable member for effecting engagement and separation of said elements upon oscillation thereof, shifting means including an eccentric and an eccentric strap having a connection with said member for oscillating said member, said connection being breakable by pivoting the eccentric strap about the eccentric, means for pivoting the eccentric strap to break the connection whereby said member may be oscillated independently of the shifting means, and means bias- 46 ing said eccentric strap toward the engaged position whereby said connection is reestablished on return of said member and eccentric strap to their normal relative positions.

2. In an ironer, cooperating ironing elements,

- breaking the connection therebetween whereby said rockable member may be oscillated independently of said reciprocable member.

3. In an ironer, cooperating ironing members. a rockable member for effecting engagement and separation of said members upon oscillation thereof, shifting means having a connection with the rockable member for oscillating the rockable member, said connection comprising separable elements adapted when separated to break and when engaged to make said connection, power means for operating the shifting means, a personally operable control member for controllin the shifting means, and means operable bysaid control member for separating said separable This causes the shaft to be ro- 20 elements whereby the rockable member may be oscillated independently of the shifting means.

4. In an ironer, cooperating ironing members, a rock shaft for effecting engagement and separation of said members upon oscillation thereof,

shifting means having a connection with the shaft for oscillating the shaft, said connection comprising separable elements adapted when separated to break and when engaged to make said connection, power means for operating the shifting means, control means for the shifting means including a shaft mounted for sliding and rotating movement and an operator operable lever for selectively sliding and rotating the shaft, means for breaking the connection between the shifting means and the rock shaft by separating said separable elements, and connections between said control shaft, said shifting means, and said last means whereby operation of said shifting means is effected by sliding movement of said control shaft and operation of said connection breaking means is effected by rotation of the control shaft.

5. In an ironer, cooperating ironing members, a rock shaft for effecting engagement and separation of said members upon oscillation thereof, shifting means having a connection with the shaft for oscillating the shaft, said connection comprising separable elements adapted when separated to break and when engaged to make said connection, power means for operating the shifting means, a control lever mounted for movement in two planes, means for breaking the connection between the shifting means and the rock shaft by separating said separable elements whereby the rock shaft may be oscillated independently of the shifting means, and connections between said control lever, said shifting means, and said last means, whereby operation of said shifting means is effected by movement of the lever in one plane and operation of the connection breaking means is effected by movement of the lever in the other plane.

6. In an ironer, cooperating ironing members, a rock shaft for effecting engagement and separation of said members upon oscillation thereof, shifting means having a connection with the shaft for oscillating the shaft, said connection comprising separable elements, power means for operating the shifting means, means for breaking the connection between the shifting means and the rock shaft by separating said separable elements whereby the rock shaft may be oscillated independently of the shifting-means, and a control lever for selectively effecting operation of said last means and saidshifting means.

7. In an ironer, cooperating ironing members, a rock shaft for efiecting engagement and separation of said members upon oscillation thereof, shifting means having a connection with the shaft for oscillating the shaft, said connection comprising separable elements adapted when separated to break and when engaged to make said connection, power means for operating the shifting means, means for breaking the connection between the shifting means and the rock shaft by separating said separable elements whereby the rock shaft may be oscillated independently of the shifting means, a control lever supported for movement in two directions, and connections between said lever, said shifting means, and said last means whereby operation of said shifting means is effected by movement of the control lever in one direction and effected by movement of the control lever in the other direction.

8. In an ironing machine, cooperating ironing elements, a rockable member for effecting engagement and separation of said elements upon oscillation thereof, a reciprocable member having a guide therefor, a connection between said members whereby the rockable member is oscillated upon reciprocation of said reciprocable member, said connection comprising engageable parts on said members separable by lifting said reciprocable member off its guide, means for lifting said reciprocable member off its guide for breaking said connection whereby the rockable member may be moved to a position in which the ironing elements are separated, means biasing said reciprocable member against the guide, and stop means limiting the movement of the rockable member whereby theconnection is reestablished upon subsequent reciprocation of the reciprocable member.

9. In an ironing machine, cooperating ironing elements, a rock shaft for effecting engagement and separation of said elements upon oscillation thereof, a reciprocable member having -a connection with said shaft whereby the shaft is oscillated, said connection comprising separable elements respectively on the shaft and the reciprocable member, said elements being separable to break the connection upon longitudinal movement of the shaft, and means biasing the shaft, to the normal position in which the elements are engaged.

10. In an ironing machine, a roll, a shoe, a

gear having provisions for rotating the roll, ec- 1 centric means for effecting engagement and separation of the roll and shoe, a clutch member biased to a position establishing a driving connection between the eccentric means and the gear, a trip lever for holding the clutch member in the disengaged position, manually operable means for moving the trip lever to a position permitting movement of the clutch member to the driving position, spring means for biasing the trip lever to its normal position, and cam means, rotatable with the eccentric means for moving the trip lever in opposition to its biasing means to store energy therein and for suddenly releasing said stored energy and applying it to the clutch member to positively move it from the driving position.

11.,In an ironing machine, a roll, a shoe, a gear having provisions for rotating the roll, eccentric means for effecting engagement and separation of the roll and shoe, said eccentric means including a circular flange and a clutch member biased to a position establishing a driving, connection between the eccentric means and the gear, a trip lever bearing on said flange for moving the clutch member from the driving position, means for moving the trip lever to a position permitting movement of the clutch member to the driving position, spring means biasing the trip lever to its normal position, and a projection on said flange engaging the trip lever and moving it in opposition to its biasing means to store energy therein and for suddenly releasing said stored energy and applying it to the clutch'member to positively move it from the driving position.

12. In an ironing machine, a roll, a shoe, a gear having provisions for. rotating the roll, eccentric means for effecting engagement and separation of the roll and shoe, said eccentric means including a clutch member biased to a position establishing a driving connection between the eewith the eccentric means for moving the trip lever in opposition to said spring means to store energy therein and for suddenly releasing said stored energy and applying it to the clutch member to positively move it from the driving 5 position.

GEORGE W. DURHAM. 

